Ink roller socket construction



Nov. 18, 1958 w. H. GRANGER INK ROLLER SOCKET CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 10, 1956 INVENTOR WALLACE H. GRANGER ATTORNEYS W. H. GRANGER INK ROLLER SOCKET CONSTRUCTION Nov. 18, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 10, 1956 I NVENTOR WALLACE H. GRANGER BY W, W

ATTORNEYS Nov. 15s, 1958 w; H; GRANGER INK ROLLER SOCKET CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 10, 1956 m T m m BY WALLACE H. GRANGER M figw o W Wr%/ ATTORNEYS United States INK ROLLER SOCKET CONSTRUCTION Application January 10, 1956, Serial No. 558,239 9 Claims. 01. 101-348 The present invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to a socket for mounting ink rollers therein.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved socket for an ink roller which permits precise proportioning of the forces exerted upon two cooperating ink cylinders, which is convenient to adjust and which does not require time-consuming re-adjustment when a new roller having a slightly diiferent diameter is substituted. It is a related object to provide an ink roller socket which does not have to be re-adjusted to compensate for progressive changes in ink roller diameter which occur due to absorption of ink.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel socket arrangement including individually adjustable springs for providing a normal spring mounting of the socket, especially during initial adjustment thereof, but

which permits the socket to be rigidly anchored to the press frame once the adjustment is complete. When it is desiredto compensate forchanges in roller diameter, the rigid mounting may be momentarily released in order to allow the socket to re-position itself automatically under the influence of the springs.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved socket for an ink roller which has a novel adjusting means enabling the roller to be brought to bear resiliently andxwith predetermined or proportioned force against tWo spaced ink cylinders. It is a more detailed object to provide a novel socket of the above typewhich need not be mounted in a symmetrical position relative to the cooperating ink cylinders, but which may be mounted in a non-symmetrical position which is convenient and easily accessible and which is out of the way of surrounding structure, for example, horizontally in the case of a newspaper press.

Stated more specifically, it is an object to provide an ink roller socket having laterally spaced sliding connections with the press'frame while permitting limited rockingmovement and in which each of the connections is provided with an individually adjustable spring for biasing the socket in the direction of the cylinders.

It is a still further object to provide an improved socket for an ink roller which is self-damping to minimize vibration. 1

Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a socket for a printing press roller which is simple and inexpensive to construct and install, which may be readily removed as a unit when cleaning becomes necessary, and which permits easy replacement of the roller.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

I Figure 1 shows an arrangement of ink rollers and cylinders to which the present invention is applicable.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of an ink roller socket constructed in accordance with the present invention with certain portions broken away or slightly distorted to bring out the details of construction.

atent O i 2,860,579 Patented Nov. 18, 1958 Fig. 3 is a face view of the ink roller socket shown in Fig. 2 and including the retaining cap.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section through one of the legs of the socket and taken along the line 44 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 4a is a transverse section taken along the line 4a4a in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows the range of angular movement of the socket relative to the press frame.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the direction of the net force applied to the roller by the socket in the preceding figures. 1

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views showing the manner in which the under-surface of the socket maybe relieved to reduce the area in contact with the frame.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will'be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention to such embodiment, but instead to cover all modifications, alternative constructions and uses which are included within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

Turning now to Figure 1, an ink roller arrangement 10 of the type used in newspaper presses is fed by ink from a fountain roller 11 and serves to supply a thin anduniform film of ink to plates mounted on a plate cylinder 12.

Included in the path of ink flow are a feed roller .13 which supplies a film of ink to a first ink drum or cylinder 17. Ink is taken from the ink drum by transfer rollers 1 and 18 and transferred to a second ink drum 20. From the ink drum 21) the film is applied to the printing plate on the plate cylinder 12 by form rollers 21, 22, producing the printed impression on a web 23 passing around an impression cylinder 24. The rollers 14, 18, 21, 22 are all mounted in sockets constructed in accordanceywith the present invention. In order to understand the construction and operation of'the sockets, attention may be focussed on the socket 31 which supports the roller 14 against cylinders 17 and 20.

Turning to the perspective of the socket 31 shown in Fig. 2,which constitutes a preferred embodiment, it will be seen that it is of generally U-shape, including a pair of spaced legs 35, 36 integrally connected at their lower ends by a yoke or bridging portion 37 The bridging portion 37 is upraised to provide a semi-cylindrical receptacle 38 mounting an anti-friction bearing 39, the bearing being telescoped over the shaft 14a of the ink roller 14. For maintaining the bearing 39 in place, a capf42 (Fig. 3) is provided having a semi-cylindrical inner surface 42a. The cap 42 is securely clamped to the socket by means of bolts 44, 45 having elongated nuts 46, 47, respectively.

Incarrying out the present invention, a sliding connection is provided for each of the legs .35, 36 of the socket for slidably mounting the socket relative to the press frame. Taking the leg 35 by way of example, such sliding connection includes a retaining way block 41 which is slidably received in a longitudinal recess 48. Underlying the block is a slot 43 providing access for a mounting bolt 49. The mounting bolt, as shown in Fig. 4, extends through a hole provided in the press frame 50, and threadedly engages the block 41. As shown in Fig. 4a., the way block 41 is seated on shoulders 51, 52 having associated lateral way surfaces 5354. The bolt and block acting together serve to retain the socket forsliding movement against the wall of the frame when the bolt is loose and serve to clamp the socket firmly in place when the bolt is tight. Both types of action are contemplated as covered more fully below.

With regard to the opposite leg 36, corresponding parts are used and have been designated with corresponding reference numerals with the subscript a.

While the way blocks 41 provide what is substantially a sliding connection, provision is made for a limited amount of rocking movement, so that the socket may be rocked bodily about either one of the two fastening bolts 49, 4911. This rocking action is brought about by the pivotal mounting of the way blocks, each being centrally fastened to a single bolt, and by providing play between at least one of the way blocks and its recess, for example, as indicated at 55 in Fig. 4a. The rocking movement enables the axis of the roller to be moved within the range indicated by the arcs 56 in Fig. 5, the extreme positions of the socket itself being indicated in this figure by the solid and dotted outlines, respectively. This angular movement plus the sliding movement covers the range required for all normal usage.

In accordance with the present invention, separately adjustable springs, seated on the socket frame, are provided on opposite sides of the roller axis, the springs in the present instance being interposed between the Way blocks and the respective legs of the socket. Again taking the leg 35 by way of example, the spring is a coil spring 61. For seating the inner end of the coil spring 61, a pedestal 62 is provided in the form of a round flat washer. The pedestal 62 is anchored to the end of the leg 35 by means of screws 63, 64 (Fig. 3). The spring 61 is coupled to the way block 41 by means of a stud 65, the stud being telescoped through the spring and threaded into the end of the block. In order to provide clearance forthe stud 65, the end of the leg 35 is channeled out as shown at 66. For adjusting the spring pressure, the stud 65 is provided with an adjusting nut 70 at its outer end. Interposed between the adjusting nut and the outer end of the spring is a pilot washer 71.

To limit the inward movement of the socket frame relative to the stud 65 and thereby to limit the range of movement of the roller 14 under spring pressure, a bottoming collar 72 is secured to the stud, the collar bottoming on stop surface 73. This insures that the socket will not move out of the range of the cap nuts 46, 47 when a roller is removed and a new one substituted.

As a result of the structure described above, equal flats against the ink cylinders may be obtained simply by rotating the adjusting nuts 70, 70a. It will, of course, be understood that another socket, which is a mirror image of that already described, is employed at the opposite end of the roller 14 and that the two sockets act in unison, the adjustment of the two sockets being kept in step so as to produce equal flats along the entire length of the roller.

It is one of the features of the present device that equal resilient pressures, resulting in equal flats, may be applied to the ink cylinders 17, 20, even though the socket is mounted in an angled or non-symmetrical position relative to the cylinders. This provides a large degree of flexibility and enables the press designer to orient a given socket in a position which is most convenient from the standpoint of operation and adjustment, or in a position which avoids interference with other press parts. In the case of a newspaper press, for example, it is desirable to mount the socket so that it extends horizontally, making the adjusting nuts 7t), 70a equally accessible and enabling the socket structure to support a roller when the bearing cap has been removed. Taking the socket shown in Fig. 3 by way of example, there is provided a generally horizontal surface 75 terminating in a hook 76, the roller being conveniently supported on the surface 75 and retained by the hook 76 just prior to removal from the press.

The angular difference between the orientation of the socket and the 'line of action of the effective pressure is brought out diagrammatically in Fig. 6. In this figure, as also in Fig. 3, the socket is horizontal. However, since the cylinders 17, 20 are of unlike diameter, the locus of points equidistant from the center of the two cylinders is curved, as indicated at 80. The portion of the locus 80 corresponding-to the centers of rollers having the same nominal diameter is indicated at 81. The range 81 defines the theoretical path of adjustment of the roller 14 required to produce equal flats against the two cylinders. The average direction over this path of adjustment is indicated by the vector 82. It is found that, when using the present socket construction and with the adjusting nuts 70 adjusted to produce equal flats, the resultant pressure against the roller may be considered to coincide in direction with the vector 82. It will be noted that the vector 82 is angled upwardly from the horizontal at an angle Stated in simple terms, the present socket construction, providing separately adjustable springs, makes it unnecessary for the designer to arrange the socket symmetrically with respect to the cylinders or, in fact, to be limited to a particular socket orientation. On the contrary, the socket may be positioned anywhere within a relatively large angle relative to the locus 80, an angle which greatly exceeds that shown at 83, while still enabling balanced pressures to be applied to the cooperating cylinders.

To compensate for the weight of the roller, the spring 61 in the lower position is preferably made somewhat stronger than the spring in the upper position.

In the past it has been necessary for ink rollers to be adjusted at frequent intervals by highly skilled press operators. Such adjustment has been necessary wherever a new roller is substituted having the same nominal diameter, but a different actual diameter. It will, of course, be appreciated that rollers of the same nominal diameter might depart from one another in actual diameter by a quarter of an inch or more, requiring a completely different setting to be established for all four of the adjusting bolts associated with a given roller. Furthermore, changes in the roller diameter due to absorption of ink have required frequent and time-consuming re-adjustment, a re-adjustrnent which must be performed for all of the rollers in the inking arrangement.

Using the present construction, the roller in a given position need only be adjusted once, namely, at the time that the press is put into operation. This adjusting procedure is as follows: The bolts 49, 49a, which are readily accessible on the outside surface of the end frame, are released so that the socket is freely slidable. The adjusting nuts 70, 70a, four in number, which are conveniently accessible at the edge of the press frame, are turned so that equal flats of a given width are produced along the entire length of the roller. The proper setting is found by using a trial and adjustment technique, well known to one skilled in this art. The width of the flat may in a practical case be on the order of of an inch. After the proper adjustment is found, the adjusting nuts are locked in place by suitable cotter pins or the like.

Following adjustment, there are two possible modes of operation. In the first, the bolts 49, 49a are allowed to remain loose'so that the socket is free to come and go. Any change in roller dimension duet-o ink absorption is taken up automatically by the springs 61, 61a. When it is desired to substitute a new roller, the bearing cap 42 is removed by loosening the nuts 46, 47, which results in partial relaxation of the springs and bottoming of the collars 72. After a new roller is substituted, the procedure is reversed, the bearing caps are applied and drawn into seated position by turning the nuts 46, 47. It is possible, and in fact likely, that the new roller will be of a slightly different diameter, as compared to the old. It is found, however, that where the present socket construction is employed the springs react to the differ ence in a proportional manner, thereby preserving flats of substantially equal width. In any event, rollers of a given nominal diameter are sufliciently close so that the width of the flat will not change by more than of an inch, which is well within the allowable tolerance.

When the socket is operated in the free floating condition described above, it is, of course, desirable that stickiness be avoided between the underside of the socket and the inner face of the press frame. this condition inay be insured in spite of a collection of ink, dirt, or a combination of the two, by relieving the underside of the socket to reduce the area in contact with the frame. This may be done, for example, by machining shallow grooves in the underside of the socket, as shown at 84 in Fig. 7. Alternatively, reduction in area may be brought about by forming diagonal grooves in the undersurface, leaving isolated areas of contact as shown, for example, at 85 in Fig. 8.

As a second mode of operation, the mounting bolts 49, 49a may, after the initial adjustment is completed, be turned tight. This tends to reduce vibration and is considered preferable by some press operators. Any minor variations are taken up by the resilience of the rubber roller. Where a roller has been operated in this fashion for a period of time so that compensation is necessary for increase in roller diameter, this may be accomplished simply by unscrewing the bolts 49, 49a momentarily, which permits the socket to assume a slightly different equilibrium position, after which the bolts may be screwed tight, a procedure which requires but a minute or two, and which obviously does not require any skill. Similarly, when it is desired to replace the roller, the bolts 49, 49a are loosened, following which the bearing caps are removed using the same procedure as described above.

While equal flats are desirable for normal press operation, the present adjustment scheme permits unequal flats to be established with equal convenience and maintained without re-adjustment, even where rollers of slightly different diameter are substituted.

When it becomes necessary to remove the socket, this may be accomplished simply by completely unscrewing the bolts 49, 4% following which the socket structure may be slid out of place as a unit. It has been found, however, that sockets of the present design may be reliably operated for long periods of time without requiring maintenance.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a printing press, the combination comprising a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and rollingly engaging said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket for jonrnaling said ink roller, means for retaining the socket seated on the side frame While permitting relative sliding and rocking movement, means including springs engaging said socket at points spaced on opposite sides of the roller axis for urging the socket in the direction of said cylinders, separate adjusting means for said springs to adjust said socket to an equilibrium condition in which equal pressure is exerted against said cylinders, and means for clamping said socket against said frame in said equilibrium condition.

2. In a printing press, the combination comprising a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and arranged to engage said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket flatly positioned against the inner wall of the side frame, said socket having a central receptacle for mounting the end of the ink roller shaft, said ink roller socket being arranged in a position which is non-symmetrically angled with respect to the ink cylinders, individual pressure-adjusting means including adjustable springs anchored to the side frame and bearing against the ink roller socket at points arranged on opposite sides of the ink roller axis so that the net force exerted on the ink roller may be oriented along the locus of points lying equidistant from the surfaces of the two ink cylinders for creation of equal flats thereon.

3. In a printing press, the combination comprising a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and arranged to engage said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket flatly positioned against the inner wall of the side frame, said socket It is found that having a central receptacle for mounting the end of the ink roller shaft, said ink roller socket being arranged in a position which is non-symmetrically angled with respect to the ink cylinders, individual pressure-adjusting means including adjustable springs anchored to the side frame and bearing against the ink roller socket at points arranged on opposite sides of the ink roller axis, means for mounting the socket for endwise sliding movement on the press frame while permitting a limited amount of rocking movement so that the net force exerted on the ink roller may be oriented along the locus of points lying equidistant from the surfaces of the two ink cylinders for creation of equal flats thereon.

4. In a printing press, the combination comprising a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and arranged to engage said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket flatly posi-' tioned against the inner wall of the side frame, said socket having a central receptacle for mounting the end of the ink roller shaft, said ink roller socket having a rockable slide block connection with said side frame and occupying a normal position which is non-symmetrically angled with respect to the ink cylinders, individual pressure-adjusting means including adjustable springs anchored to the side frame and bearing against the ink roller socket at points arranged on opposite sides of the ink roller axis so that the net force exerted on the ink roller'may be oriented along the locus of points lying equidistant from the surfaces of the two ink cylinders.

5. In a printing press, the combination comprising a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and arranged to engage said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket mounted on the inner Wall of the side frame, said socket having a central receptacle for mounting the end of the ink roller shaft, said ink roller socket having a sliding connection with said frame arranged in a position which is non-symmetrically angled with respect to the ink cylinders, said connection providing limited rocking movement of the socket, individual pressure-adjusting means including adjustable springs anchored to the side frame and bearing against the ink roller socket at points laterally spaced on opposite sides of the ink roller axis so that the net force exerted on the ink roller may be oriented along the locus of points lying equidistant from the surfaces of the two ink cylinders, said springs having individual stops for limiting the movement of the socket under the influence of the springs.

6. In a printing press, the combination comprising, a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and arranged to engage said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket mounted on the side frame, said socket having a central receptacle for mounting the end of the ink roller shaft, said ink roller socket being connected to the side frame by a pair of.

spaced sliding connections laterally spaced on opposite sides of the ink roller, said sliding connections including individual springs for urging the ink roller socket in the direction of said ink cylinders, and means for separately adjusting the pressure exerted by said springs.

7. In a printing press, the combination comprising a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and rollingly engaging said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket of flat U-shape positioned flatly against the side frame and including a pair of laterally spaced legs and a yoke portion integrally connecting the same, means in said yoke portion for journaling the ink roller, way blocks mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in said legs respectively, means for anchoring said blocks to said side frame, and an adjustable spring interposed between each of said blocks and the corresponding leg of said socket for urging the socket resiliently in the direction of said cylinders.

8. In a printing press, the combination comprising a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and rollingly engaging said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket of fiat U-shape positioned flatly against the side frame and including a pair of laterally spaced legs and a yoke portion integrally connecting the same, means in said yoke portion for journaling the ink roller, way blocks mounted for longitudinal sliding movement in said legs respectively, said legs having slots formed therein, bolts extending through the respective slots for anchoring the respective blocks to said side frame, and an adjustable spring interposed between each of said blocks and the corresponding leg of said socket for urging the socket resiliently in the direction of said cylinders, at least one of said way blocks having lateral play for permitting rocking movement of said socket about either of said bolts.

9. In a printing press, the combination comprising a side frame, a pair of ink cylinders laterally spaced from one another, an ink roller having a shaft and rollingly engaging said ink cylinders, an ink roller socket having a central receptacle for journaling said ink roller and providing a pair of way surfaces on opposite sides thereof, said way surfaces being parallel to one another and oriented in the direction of said ink cylinders, retaining way blocks engaging said way surfaces, means for connecting said retaining way blocks to the side frame of the press, so that the socket is guided for movement of the roller toward and away from said cylinders, means for providing individual spring pressure against said way blocks and stop means associated with each of said way blocks for limiting the movement of the socket relative thereto under the biasing force of said springs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 970,000 Waite Sept. 13, 1910 1,975,681 Brawn i Oct. 2, 1934 2,033,950 Morse Mar. 17, 1936 2,163,374 Crafts June 20, 1939 2,314,351 Harrold Mar. 23, 1943 

